Dr. Suleiman Akilu | BUA Cement Company LTD | Nigeria
Dr. Suleiman Akilu is a dynamic and results-driven mechanical engineer and project management professional with over a decade of experience in project execution, operational leadership, compliance oversight, and research innovation. His career spans the cement manufacturing industry, academic research institutions, and engineering operations, where he has consistently demonstrated strategic thinking, technical depth, and exceptional leadership capabilities. At BUA Cement Company PLC, one of Nigeria’s leading cement producers, Dr. Akilu was recruited to serve as Principal Manager and later Assistant Director, functioning as Technical Assistant/Adviser to the MD/CEO. In this role, he led a multidisciplinary project team that significantly increased raw material reserves, improved operational efficiency, and strengthened the company’s strategic growth initiatives. He supported major contract negotiations related to LNG supply, power plant operations, and input materials, while ensuring regulatory compliance and coordinating closely with mining and environmental agencies. His responsibilities also included logistics coordination, integration of alternative fuels to enhance sustainability, and contributing to technical documentation, contract reviews, and high-level stakeholder engagements. Earlier, as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Institute of Hydrocarbon Recovery in Malaysia, Dr. Akilu conducted advanced research on gas transport in porous media, shale reservoirs, adsorption phenomena, and fracturing fluid behavior. He published multiple high-impact papers, supported experimental system design, managed research materials, and supervised undergraduate research projects. His expertise includes computational tools such as ANSYS, COMSOL Multiphysics, and BIOVIA Materials Studio. During his tenure as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, he provided academic support in heat transfer, fluid dynamics, energy systems, and MATLAB, while assisting with laboratory instruction, project evaluations, course coordination, and research output. With a PhD in Mechanical Engineering and ongoing MSc studies in Project Management, Dr. Akilu brings a powerful combination of technical expertise, analytical capability, and strategic leadership—positioning him as a valuable asset to innovative, high-performing organizations.
Featured Publications
Akilu, S., Sharma, K. V., Baheta, A. T., & Mamat, R. (2016). A review of thermophysical properties of water based composite nanofluids. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 66, 654–678.
Akilu, S., Baheta, A. T., Said, M. A. M., Minea, A. A., & Sharma, K. V. (2017). Properties of glycerol and ethylene glycol mixture based SiO₂–CuO/C hybrid nanofluid for enhanced solar energy transport. Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 166, (year), pages.
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Akilu, S., Baheta, A. T., & Sharma, K. V. (2017). Experimental measurements of thermal conductivity and viscosity of ethylene glycol-based hybrid nanofluid with TiO₂–CuO/C inclusions. Journal of Molecular Liquids, 246, 396–405.
Akilu, S., Padmanabhan, E., & Sun, Z. (2021). A review of transport mechanisms and models for unconventional tight shale gas reservoir systems. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 175, 121125.
Akilu, S., Baheta, A. T., Minea, A. A., & Sharma, K. V. (2017). Rheology and thermal conductivity of non-porous silica (SiO₂) in viscous glycerol and ethylene glycol based nanofluids. International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer, 88, 245–253.
Akilu, S., Baheta, A. T., Kadirgama, K., Padmanabhan, E., & Sharma, K. V. (2018). Viscosity, electrical and thermal conductivities of ethylene and propylene glycol-based β-SiC nanofluids. Journal of Molecular Liquids, 284, 780–792.